Anxiety

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved."    

Psalms 55:22

If we are wise, we will heed David’s advice to cast our burdens on the Lord. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for cast (shalak) is also used of breaking the chains or ropes that hold a person captive. When we choose to bear our own burdens, they become chains that keep us in bondage to fear, dread, and worry. But when we give our burdens to the Lord, we are set free to live in the realm of peace and faith.

God does not want us to carry the unbearable load of our afflictions. Again and again in Scripture, He invites us to throw them off and allow Him to bear them for us. But we have to trust God enough to commit our trouble to Him. When we fully trust God with our problems, our fears and anxiety will wondrously vanish, and the precious peace of God will reign in their place. Like David, we will be filled with confidence in God and will experience His sustaining and victorious power (2 Co. 4:13-14).

Study Questions:

• Do you feel chained down or held captive to your anxieties?
• Is it hard for you to release your burdens? If yes, why do you think that is?

• How can you learn to cast your anxieties on Him?